Niger is facing a mounting regional migration crisis as Algeria intensifies its expulsion of sub-Saharan migrants.
In response, the Nigerien government has announced an accelerated repatriation plan in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The latest wave of mass expulsions from Algeria has placed Niger at the center of an increasingly concerning humanitarian situation.
According to Ibra Boulama Issa, the governor of Niger’s Agadez region, Algerian authorities returned over 6,000 migrants to the border town of Assamaka in northern Niger during the month of April alone.
This recent influx follows the return of 7,222 individuals to Niger during the first quarter of 2025, indicating a significant hardening of Algeria’s migration policies. Alarmed by the growing strain on IOM reception centers, the Nigerien government is seeking to avert a humanitarian crisis by facilitating the voluntary return of 4,000 migrants to their respective countries of origin by July.
The Nigerien NGO Alarme Phone Sahara reports that more than 31,000 individuals were deported from Algeria to Niger throughout 2024.
The majority of these migrants, originating from West and Central African nations, had been using Algeria as a transit route with the aim of reaching Europe.
Nigerian Interior Minister Mohamed Toumba has voiced concerns regarding the security risks associated with this situation. He has urged the IOM and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to organize swift, secure, and coordinated return processes for the expelled migrants.
SL/te/Sf/fss/abj/APA